Rod Culleton in court: former One Nation senator told ‘this is not an American sitcom’

AAPTuesday, 26 September 2017 12:37PM

Warned: Rod Culleton.Picture: Steve Ferrier/The West Australian.

Former One Nation senator Rod Culleton has been warned by a Perth magistrate to stay on track while representing himself against a stealing charge.

Mr Culleton allegedly prevented bank-appointed receivers from leaving his friend’s farm, where they had begun foreclosure proceedings, by surrounding their $27,000 hire car with hay bales in March 2015.

At his trial in the Perth Magistrates Court today, the prosecutor repeatedly said she couldn’t see the relevance of Mr Culleton’s line of questioning when he cross-examined a police officer who attended the farm.

After Mr Culleton asked the officer what the weather was like that day, the magistrate told him he was on notice it was “not a free-ranging exercise”.

“Mr Culleton, let’s just get through the process,” she said.

He replied: “Well, I’m doing the best I can. I’m leaving no stone unturned.”

Mr Culleton then suggested the policeman was trespassing as he had been asked to leave the property, but remained to take photos of the car.

The officer said he was allowed to be there under the Criminal Investigation Act as the front tyres of the vehicle were flat and he suspected they had been stabbed.

The former federal politician objected and was told by the magistrate: “We’re not in an American sitcom”.

He was also told to stop referring to himself in the third person, as the accused, because it was confusing.